Yamato Holdings (TSE:9064) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥23.00

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE:9064) will pay a dividend of ¥23.00 on the 9th of December. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 2.7%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Yamato Holdings

Yamato Holdings' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Prior to this announcement, Yamato Holdings' dividend was only 58% of earnings, however it was paying out 96% of free cash flows. This signals that the company is more focused on returning cash flow to shareholders, but it could mean that the dividend is exposed to cuts in the future.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 18.5%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 52% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Yamato Holdings Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥24.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥46.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.7% a year over that time. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Yamato Holdings has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 19% per annum. While on an earnings basis, this company looks appealing as an income stock, the cash payout ratio still makes us cautious.

Our Thoughts On Yamato Holdings' Dividend

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. While Yamato Holdings is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Yamato Holdings that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.